Our Life
by Fueled By Dr. Pepper
Summary: Sarah and Mattie are just two kids with the world in front them. Leah is the beta, the lead female, and a mother at heart. It's instinct for her to be fearful of what's out there waiting for them. 1234 words. one-shot


**I do not own the Twilight related things. I just love this fandom, dang it. (A little background info: Matthew Jacob Meraz (Mattie) is the son of Paul Meraz and Rachel Black. Sarah Black is the daughter of Jacob Black and Leah Clearwater.)**

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The all-too-familiar slam of the front door resounded in Leah's ears as she finished her lunch in the kitchen. The scuffling of feet was more energetic than usual but the lack of loud voices muffling it was the more daunting surprise. She wiped her mouth and then walked into the living room, expecting a pair of guilty faces to greet her.

Instead, a panicked Mattie was carrying little Sarah – a shirt pressed to her face – to the couch. He placed her gently on the cushions and then ran off in the direction of the bathroom. Leah walked over and motioned for Sarah to move the shirt. Underneath, there was dried blood in caked streams that flowed from under her nostrils down to the front of her shirt. True to her genetics, Sarah's nose was already healed as if nothing had happened. Before she could ask about it, Mattie was back from bathroom and squeezed himself in-between Sarah and Leah. He held the damp cloth steady and very slowly dabbed at the mess on his cousin's face.

"I can do it, Mattie."

Sarah reached for the cloth out of impatience and Mattie shushed her and continued with his meticulous care giving.

"If you can talk, then you can tell me what happened."

Sarah bit her lip and Mattie froze – fearful his feather-light touch had further harmed her. Leah rubbed his back and took the cloth from him.

"She doesn't want to talk about it, so can you tell me what happened Mattie?"

He moved away and flopped on the nearby armchair with his gaze cast down towards his feet.

"I was teaching her how to climb a tree and she was getting really high and I told to come down. I told her! But she kept going up. I was, like, almost gonna climb up and get her when she slipped and hit her face. She climbed down and started crying and I gave her my shirt to soak up the blood and I carried her home as fast as possible!"

The end of Mattie's explanation rambled on and started mixing on with repeated apologies as Leah crouched down to finish wiping at her daughter's face. When she finished she held up a hand and Mattie stopped speaking.

"It's alright, Mattie. Things happen. Can you go into the room and get me a clean shirt for her?"

Before Sarah even sat up, Mattie was off and zooming down the hallway. Leah peeled the soiled shirt off and Sarah looked up at her mother.

"I'm sowwy, Momma. I just wanna prove I can be tough like Mattie and Uncle Paul and Uncle Seth and you and Daddy. I gonna be a big wolf, too."

Leah stopped dabbing at the stain on the shirt to look at her. Staring back were two big browns eyes – a trait passed on from her father.

Leah struggled with her words. Various thoughts filled up her head – what it was like to first phase, the burden of the secret, all the struggles and close calls. She thought of how scary it was watching Mattie – not even blood related to her – go through the rites of initiation. She looked at the unmarred face of her daughter who was destined to go through all of it.

"I know you will be, sweetie. But not now. For now, all you have to be is my little girl, okay?"

Sarah nodded and smiled the same goofy as her uncle Seth. Leah put down the rag and shirt and held her close. Mattie came back with the shirt and has his arms full of things to make Sarah smile. At the sight of Leah holding her, Mattie dropped everything and rushed to their side.

"Is she okay? What can I do? Should I call Uncle Jake?"

Leah let go of Sarah and dabbed at her eyes, "She's fine, Mattie. Just hand me the shirt. And pick up all the stuff you dropped."

Mattie picked up the shirt and handed it to Leah. She slipped on Sarah and Mattie gather the rest of the things splayed across the floor. Leah got up to properly clean the shirt while Mattie made sure to keep Sarah calm and happy in return.

When Leah came back into the room, Sarah was asleep on the couch while Mattie adjusted the blanket and watched over her. Again, flashbacks muddled with the present reality. Just like his uncle and father, Mattie was matured beyond his years and saddled with the kind of responsibility that only a handful of people in the world could understand. He even took on more than his share with the constant mentoring and adoration he kept for his little cousin.

Leah walked up to him and hugged him.

She whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Mattie. For looking after Sarah so well."

He smiled and hugged his aunt back.

Yawning, he brushed his efforts off with his token modesty, "It's no big deal."

"Sure, sure."

Leah ruffled his hair and patted his back, "If you're tired, climb in with Sarah, I'll call your mom and wake you guys up in time for dinner."

Mattie nodded and slid in next to Sarah, careful not to disturb her, and passed out promptly. Leah called and talked with Rachel for as long as she could. It seemed so much more normal – talking about kids and their injuries with another mom – than letting the thoughts of pack life and immortality's consequences consume her.

When it couldn't be pushed away any longer, Leah hung up with Rachel and started on dinner. Trying to keep from worrying herself to death, as if it were possible, Leah focused on the soft sounds of the sleeping kids in the room adjacent. It was so easy focusing on them. They had become everything Leah lived and fought for.

An old lullaby from the edges of her earliest memories crept across Leah's mind and she began humming it lowly. So distracted, she didn't notice the man that walked into the house and stood right behind her. When lips pressed against her neck and arms wrapped around her, Leah put the utensils she was using down and turned around in Jacob's embrace.

"Smells divine, Ms. Rachel Ray."

Leah laughed and pecked his cheek but when she pulled back Jacob studied her face, which showed the stress of the day's events on her face for a sliver of a second.

"What happened today?"

Leah tried shaking it off but when Jake's eyes met hers and she thought about Sarah it came pouring out. She kept her emotions in check – only letting her voice waver a little bit and keeping the tears on the brims of her eyelids. When she was done, Jacob held her close and muttered soft comforts because he knew that even at her best, Leah only revealed the tip of the iceberg.

"I worry, too, Lee. I worry about her and you and us everyday. But you know what? I wouldn't change a thing. If . . . things were different, I wouldn't have you. And then Sarah wouldn't be here. We'd be different people. You, Sarah, Mattie and the pack – you guys are my life."

Leah kissed him and then laid her head on his shoulder, "It's my life, too. It's our life."

_And I love it_, she thought as she pressed her lips to his again.


End file.
